🎙️ Podcast Intro:

Real ones know him from the Drew League, but he became a household name after his time on Netflix's Last Chance U - Detroit's own Coach Ken Hunter!

In this episode, Coach Hunter takes us through his upbringing, his unfortunate injury that left him paralyzed, and how he got into coaching.

Growing up in a rough area of Detroit, coach Ken used basketball as a way out. During his playing career in college, he was left with an unfortunate injury that would end his career and leave him paralyzed.

Coach walks us through the mental health struggles of dealing with and accepting his injury, and how being led into a coaching career saved his life.

Over his coaching career, he has quickly become known for being one of the best college basketball recruiters in the country, always finding hidden gems. He gives gems to youth players, letting us in on what he looks for, and what makes a player successful at the college level and beyond. 

Coach Ken is a beloved Drew League coach, known for coaching some of the game's best players, from the NBA and beyond.

He is also a successful assistant coach at East Los Angeles College, ELAC, a JUCO school known for delivering players to a D1 level.

Catch Coach Ken and the rest of the ELAC crew on Last Chance U, now streaming on Netflix! 

Follow the Hosts:

Buy Craig's book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/1dOsINE

Follow the Guest:

Find the video version of this podcast on YouTube!

To close out our first year as a podcast, we sat down and looked back at some of our favorite moments, going episode by episode.

In order:

1. Podcast intro episode

All-Stars, Hall of Famers, Champions, record breakers, commissioners, actors, advocates, and more - we did it all this year. Thank you for rocking with us in 2022! Here's to new heights in '23.

In this episode, we also announce our partnership with Slic Studios, led by NBA great Baron Davis.

Follow the Underdogs Podcast:

Follow the Hosts:

Find the video version of this podcast on YouTube!

This is one of the League's greatest unknown stories.

For those who haven't lived it, many believe making it to the NBA is the hardest part, but it's not - staying in the league is harder.

Bobby starts his basketball career in his home city of Compton, where he played on one of the greatest high school basketball teams of all time, alongside the most coveted draft prospect in Tyson Chandler - Dominguez High School. 

After transferring schools during his junior year of high school due to controversy from the team's coach, Bobby had to learn how to cope with change early on.  During the college recruiting process, Bobby decided to stay on the west coast. Bobby goes into detail on how the September 11th attacks actually affected his college decision, pushing him away from selecting Boston College to play alongside Craig Smith and Jared Dudley.

Deciding on Washington, Bobby played alongside basketball greats Brandon Roy and Nate Robinson. He was a 4-year starter, proving his talent enough to get drafted into the NBA.

We also talk about Bobby and Craig's time on Team USA, winning the gold medal.  Bobby's rookie year was spent with the Philadelphia 76ers. His sophomore year was when things went crazy.

Bobby spent his second and final year in the NBA playing for an NBA record 5 teams. Starting with the Denver Nuggets, Bobby then went to the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, and finally to the San Antonio Spurs.

This has us talk about the struggle of staying in the league and what it takes. We also break down the mental health effects of 10-day contracts and constantly fighting for your life to stay on a roster.

We then talk about Bobby's overseas experiences, his filmmaking journey, and what he is up to now.  

Follow the Hosts:

Buy Craig's book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/1dOsINE

Follow the Guest:

Bobby's documentary: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/basketballjones 

Find the video version of this podcast on YouTube!

While he may not be a household name, this Worldwide Champion (who was also just sent to the Temple University Hall of Fame) is a name you need to know - David Hawkins.

Growing up in the DC Metro area, Hawk didn't pick up a basketball until his brother put the ball in his hands. Following in his bro's footsteps, Hawk joins the Archbishop Carroll High School basketball team, a team known for sending guys to the NBA. 

Committing to Temple, Hawk played under Hall of Fame coach John Chaney. He had a solid start to his college career until he was suspended for bad grades. The suspension made him miss major, Nationally televised games - something he credits the lack of NBA attention to. He ended his senior year being 3rd in the country for points per game (PPG).

Hawk, who is a guard/forward combo, ultimately goes undrafted. He was later told that being a 4-year college player was part of the reason why - scouts had seen too much of him and preferred untapped, straight-from-high school players.

Bouncing around in the NBA Summer League, Hawkins failed to find a permanent home, sending him, overseas. Finding instant success overseas, Hawkins became a multi-time MVP and Champion in some of the top leagues in Europe (Italian Cup, EuroLeague, EuroBasket, etc...) and beyond - he is one of the most decorated overseas basketball players of all time.

Fast forward a few years, all while having continued success overseas, Ice Cube forms a 3-on-3 basketball league, the BIG3. Originally intended for former NBA players only, David Hawkins impressed Ice Cube and the rest of the team captains enough to bend the rules to let him into the Draft, where he was later selected.

Since the inaugural season, David Hawkins has dominated. He has won 3 of the 5 league championships and is the only 3-time champion in the league. He is the Bill Russell of the BIG3.

Follow the Underdogs Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/underdogs.podcast/

Many remember James White, better known by fans as Flight, as one of the greatest dunkers we have ever seen. From dunking from the free throw line with ease to landing some of the most acrobatic dunks ever done, he had every dunk in his arsenal. 

What fans don't know is the rest of his career. Flight was labeled as "just a dunker" early on, which definitely affected how teams looked at him. 

Starting at the University of Florida, Flight takes us back to why he committed there, and why he ultimately transferred to Cincinnati, where he truly made a name for himself.

He then talks about his draft night struggles, and how staying in college for so long actually hurt his NBA chances.  He then talks about being traded on draft night and being cut by the Pacers before the season even started. This is where he learned that the NBA is where the real work began, and he needed to start treating it as a full-time job. 

He ends up getting signed by the Spurs for his rookie season, where he learned from coach Gregg Popovich and NBA legends Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Robert Horry. He claims he learned more in this one season than he did the rest of his career combined. They went on to win the NBA Finals, giving Flight a championship ring.

Following that championship season, Flight decided he wanted some playing experience, so he signs overseas.

Following his domination of overseas basketball, he returns to the NBA, where he bounces on and off different rosters trying to find a home. He plays a few games with the Houston Rockets before returning overseas. 

Now, at the age of 30, he returns to the NBA to play for the New York Knicks in his most successful season. He also competes in the NBA Dunk Contest, which he walks us through. He goes into detail about that process and why he wasn't able to compete at his highest level that night. 

Flight then reflects on his time with the BIG3 so far, being the league's only 3-time champion. 

Let us know your favorite James White moment in the comments below! Where do you rank Flight in the list of best dunkers of all time?

Follow the Underdogs Podcast:

Follow the Hosts:

Follow the Guest:

Find the video version of this podcast on YouTube!

For Episode 19 of the Underdogs Podcast, we sat down with and interviewed the 4th overall pick of the 2001 NBA Draft, Eddy Curry.

Eddy Curry was quickly labeled "a bust" by many fans, who didn't know the full story. In a short time span, Eddy went through more hard times than most people do in an entire lifetime, and he prevailed. This is a story of overcoming adversities to succeed.

Growing up on the south side of Chicago, Eddy spent most of his early years wanting to be a gymnast. In the 7th grade, Eddy picked up a basketball for the first time and very quickly found success. He was very quickly introduced to the AAU circuits and skyrocketed up the scouting boards.

After dominating high school basketball, he was invited to numerous high-end basketball camps, which he credits with bringing his name into the mix. With only 6 years of basketball experience, Eddy entered the draft straight out of high school knowing he'd be a top 5 pick. He ends up being drafted by his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls, with the 4th pick in the infamous "Kwame Brown" draft.

After a slow rookie year due to a lot of positional competition, he bursts out in his second year, leading the NBA in field goal percentage. He became the first Bull since Michael Jordan to lead the NBA in a major statistical category.

We then fast forward to the 2004-05 NBA Season. Eddy starts noticing an irregular heartbeat. He reports this to the team doctors, which lead to him being hospitalized. With Doctors worried he may have the same heart issue that lead to Reggie Lewis and Hank Gathers' deaths, the Bulls bench him. The Bulls offer him $400K a year for the rest of his life if he would agree to take a DNA test to see if he was predisposed to heart issues. After talking with his agent, he declines, since a positive test would instantly end his career.

(We chose not to discuss this next chapter of Eddy's life during the podcast out of respect, but we want you to be well informed.) While dealing with these heart issues, Eddy's family is robbed at gunpoint. In a separate instance, Eddy's ex-girlfriend and newborn daughter are murdered in front of his son's eyes. 

Doctors are worried that Eddy's heart may be too large, so they tell him to sit out and not exercise so his heart can shrink down to normal size. This is where he gained that weight that fans so often ridiculed him for.

We discuss the mental approach he had the be able to continue on while dealing with all of these things. It's extremely incredible that he was able to deal with these things while being a professional athlete in the public eye.

On a lighter note, Eddy also tells us some never before heard stories about Jay-Z and Fat Joe during his time in New York with the Knicks. Put some respect on his name. 

Follow the Underdogs Podcast:

Follow the Hosts:

Follow the Guest:

Find the video version of this podcast on YouTube!

One decision can change your life, which is exactly what happened to Donte Greene.

A fan favorite and record-breaker at Syracuse University, Donte Greene decided to go the "one and done" route to play in the NBA after his freshman year - breaking the hearts of all of the Orange fans across the country. 

His decision to go pro turned him from a campus legend to someone who was looked down upon for leaving the school.

In this episode of the Underdogs Podcast, Donte takes us through his entire basketball journey - including his explanation of why he left Syracuse to go pro - a decision that ultimately came down to helping his family.

The Baltimore native had an unusual start to his pro career, being traded twice before his rookie debut. From falling in the draft after a report leaked about him being un-coachable, being traded on draft night, to only once again be traded after the NBA Summer League. (Memphis Grizzlies to the Houston Rockets to the Sacramento Kings)

Donte then talks about his 4 years in Sacramento, a city that he calls his second home thanks to the love from the fans in that city.

He goes on to talk about his decision to leave the NBA to actually get some playing time overseas. This leads him into talking about the struggle of getting back into the NBA after leaving - something that isn't though about by players in that situation.

We then fast forward to today, where Donte has become an All-Star in Ice Cube's 3x3 basketball league - the BIG3.  

Follow the Underdogs Podcast:

Follow the Hosts:

Follow the Guest: Donte Greene: https://www.instagram.com/dontegreene_cos

Video version on YouTube!

Constantly moving around during his childhood years, it was hard for the undersized receiver to get scouted.

With only one other college offer, Penn State offered Jordan Norwood a roster spot to play under the winningest football coach in college football history.

Going from practice squad to practice squad after going undrafted, Norwood carved out a role for himself within the Cleveland Browns organization.

After his time with the Browns concluded, Norwood was signed to the Denver Broncos - just in time to play with the newly acquired Peyton Manning. Unfortunately, Norwood tore his ACL and never stepped on the field that season.

The following season, Norwood and the Broncos made NFL history by winning Super Bowl 50. Norwood himself had a major part in that win by setting a Super Bowl record 61 yard punt return.

Norwood decided to retire on his own terms soon after, closing that chapter of his great underdog story.

After football, Norwood found interest in the cryptocurrency and NFT space, eventually founding his own NFT community: The Whitelist.io ACES. Since its founding, Norwood sold out all 10,000 NFTs and has since bought a BIG3 basketball team - Power.

Want to get involved with the Whitelist? Check out their official website and join their discord! https://thewhitelist.io 

Purchase a Whitelist ACE here: https://opensea.io/collection/thewhitelistioaces

Follow the Underdogs Podcast:

Follow the Hosts:

Follow the Guest:

Find the video version of this podcast on YouTube!

Troy Hudson, aka the Laker Killer, is an 11-year NBA vet known for his knockdown shooting and increased skill whenever he played against the Lakers.

T-Hud played for the Jazz, Clippers, Magic, Timberwolves, and Warriors.

In this episode of the Underdogs Podcast, Troy Hudson walks us through his journey of growing up in a small town in Illinois.

He then goes through his college career, including a transfer, and leaving early to declare for the draft - in which he went unselected.He continues on to tell us about his NBA career.

He was often told that he needed to change his style of play, as he focused on shooting the ball and scoring at a fast tempo - a style of play that was not well accepted until Stephen Curry many years later.

Troy eventually found a home in Minnesota with the Timberwolves, where the organization gave him the green light, leading to his career-high stats.

Follow the Underdogs Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/underdogs.p... 

Follow the Hosts:

Follow the Guest:

Find the video version of this podcast on YouTube!